However, in October 2021, General al-Burhan and General Hamdan carried out a coup, subverting a transition process. Officials from the United States and other countries were working on a new agreement with the generals to get the process back on track, and diplomats thought weeks ago that the generals were ready to embrace the pact, but then they began arguing over how to integrate their forces, including over a timeline.
The chain of command was an issue, too: General Hamdan wanted to report directly to a civilian leader, while General al-Burhan wanted General Hamdan to report to him.
One of the last plans discussed before fighting broke out was a proposal that both generals maintain operational control of their own forces, and sit on an integration committee with a new civilian head of state, the State Department official said.
If the generals agree to allow a secure way for aid to enter Sudan, most or all of the immediate aid would come by ship to Port Sudan and then be taken overland to Khartoum, the capital, and other places. The United States would work with the United Nations on this process, the State Department official said.
Critics say the Biden administration should have tried to punish the two generals after the 2021 coup rather than working closely with them. U.S. officials say they and partners withheld economic aid and debt relief from the Sudanese government, and believed that would push the generals to support a transition to civilian rule and democracy.
When the conflict began three weeks ago, both sides thought they could easily win, several African officials said on Friday. But as the battle intensified, particularly in Khartoum, the rival parties appeared to accept that there was a need for talks. That realization motivated a flurry of diplomatic efforts by African governments in recent days.
On Tuesday, President Salva Kiir of South Sudan announced that the two sides had agreed to a weeklong truce and would name representatives to peace talks. On Thursday, General al-Burhan sent a special envoy to meet with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia, in what officials said was among the first public signs that the two generals were heeding regional and global pressure.
